Program Rationale

The academic Internship Program represents a positive step in developing partnerships with education and enterprise. The College of Business, in partnership with the WTAMU Internship Program, works together to offer students learning opportunities outside of the classroom through job experience related to the student's field of study. Quality internships provide students with:

an increased understanding of principles learned in the classroom,

the opportunity to clarify career goals,

thepotential to develop a networkof professional contacts,

enhanced self-confidenceand skills,

an opportunity to learn about a particular industry, and

the ability to earn moneyfor college and personal expenses.

The College of Business fullysupports academic credit for internship experience. All internship opportunities for academic credit areunder the full academicsupervision of the College of Business. TheInternship Program offers undergraduate students theopportunityto get course creditwhile gainingwork experiencein a related area.

Note: the College of Business encourages students to get relevant work experience even if they cannot get course credit.

Undergraduate business students may use an internship courseto REPLACE anyadvanced elective in their degree plan.

Participating corporations are expectingto receive high-quality work and active participation from the students they sponsor. Experience directly related to a student’s major makes the student more marketable when seeking full-time positions after graduating.

Student & For-Credit Internship Requirements

To participate in the internship program for academic credit, a student must be:

enrolled in the College of Business

in good academic standing

have a GPA of 2.8 or greater within their College of Business courses

and completed 24 hours in the College of Business core requirements.

Internship job descriptions that will be considered for credit must meet the following criteria as determined by the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE):

To ensure that an experience is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the NACE definition, all the following criteria must be met:

The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.

The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.

The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.

There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.

There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.

There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.

There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.

If these criteria are followed, it is the opinion of NACE that the experience can be considered a legitimate internship.

Other factors used to determine if an experience qualifies for credit include:

Academic credit isn't given retroactively.

For an individual currently working within an organization, no academic internship credit will be given for an existing functional area experience. Ideally, the student wouldn't do any of their previous job duties and have a different supervisor.

Internships must include a minimum of 120 hours of professional duties.

Internships must be paid.

Home-based business internships are not eligible.

Virtual internships are not eligible.

Students may not take an overload during the semester they receive internship credit.

Academic credit is not given for full-time positions where employment is expected to continue after the internship.

One purpose of an internship is for the student and employer to evaluate full-time job potential at the end of the internship. Full-time employment is not a given at the conclusion of the internship.

Ultimately, the College of Business determines if an experience qualifies for credit and the above criteria are simply a starting point for making this determination.

Internship Credit Request Process

To be considered for credit, proposals must be submitted by the following dates. Proposals submitted after these dates will not be considered for credit.

Before we can consider your internship proposal, you must meet with the International Student Office Director to ensure you are eligible to participate in CPT

Secure an internship offer. Internships can be found through Career Services resources or a student's own search.

Career Services offers a weekly "How To Find An Internship" workshop each Thursday @ 11:30am in the Career Services office. They also offer career fairs, assistance with resumes and interviewing, and access to BuffJobs, a free database with internship listings. Learn more at Career Services Homepage. Contact Career Services with questions-- (806) 651-2345, CC 113.

Complete a "Credit Proposal / Learning Agreement Form" together with your employer. This form is online at student internship forms.

If approved and the student agree with the internship course syllabus, faculty will complete a blue card and send it directly to the registrar enrolling the student in the course. Please note that not all internship proposals are approved. Please have a "Plan B" in place in case your internship is not approved for academic credit.

If approved, the student meets with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Business Programs and/or Experiential Education staff to review the internship syllabus. This happens at a mandatory Internship Orientation meeting. Distance students will participate in phone or virtual orientations. Typical topics covered in an orientation are:

Syllabus Review (the academic assignments required for the class) Every intern receiving credit is required to complete academic assignments. Examples are end-of-semester presentations, informational interviews with senior-level people in the student's career area of interest, readings, interaction with other interns through WTClass, weekly journal, etc.

Professionalism

Keys for Success

Q&A

The faculty submits a grade for the student at the end of the semester. Grading policy is outlined in the syllabus.